NASCAR Silly Season and News

[DAT Designs]

I'm very intrigued by the appearance of a rear diffuser. But overall the car looks very promising. I appreciate the flat, curvy body and the X-3 style splitter. The car is also very blocky and bulky in overall appearance and that's a good sign. The greenhouse looks real good too. With such a small decklid, the greenhouse will be able to prevent more air from hitting the spoiler as it travels over the car. The lack of aero lines in the quarter and door panels is nice to see as well. Couple things I'm concerned about tho is that there are still side skirts and fender flares. Those two are the main culprits when it comes to side force in the Gen 6 cars and to see that they're returning for Gen 7 is less than ideal. Hopefully the on track product will prove me wrong. Of course, all we can do now is speculate.

 

[RacerXero84]

So.... NASCAR making it a GT3 class formally in 2021 if any of this ends up on the final build. Low HP, TONS of downforce (not talking about the spoiler), hood vents, etc etc etc.

All this to woo another OEM into NASCAR that probably won't come in with the same force Toyota did. Meanwhile, we get watered down racing, with more stuff that can break, and thus less beating and banging, which has been part of the NASCAR style since its inception.

Hard pass, if this ends up being the case. Go watch IMSA (owned by NASCAR execs?) or Euro GT3. It's almost like Brian France is still running this show from the shadows.

 

[crazyboy335]

If the diffuser works properly, you won't need to have a tall spoiler. That means even less dirty air is hitting trailing cars, making passing possible.

IndyCar oval racing from 2015-2017 shows that you can have amazing racing with gobs of downforce.

I love this so far. I really hope it works out and the racing returns to Gen-4 form.

 

[MrDude68]

I'm not going to pretend I know physics, but I sure hope it's a success

 

[dalejr88rox]

For anyone who follows any other form of motorsports, you'll know ground effects is the best compromise between aero grip and good racing. Ground effects generates downforce all through air traveling below the car, essentially eliminating the need for aero appendages and eliminating the problem of dirty air. Formula 1 is moving that way as well in the coming years and I think this is a great idea

 

[db512]

The one thing to remember they mentioned this is not the actually body as the OEMs are still working on those. So I am not going to dig into the body styles too much but obviously they put all they could into the car to get it on track and see how it reacts in the real world. Plus get the mechanicals inside and underneath on track too.

 

[Hendrick9Fan]

 

[MillsLayne]

Man, I am absolutely stoked for the return of the splitter. /s

 

[nj9703]

Man, I am absolutely stoked for the return of the splitter. /s

This is less splitter than we currently have, it's shaped like it was on the x-3 so it can't be completely sealed.

 

[MillsLayne]

I just don't like the look of it, but let's wait and see what the racing is like.

 

[mtblillie]

I have heard several ppl say this was a chassis test, and the body will likely by at least somewhat different.

 

[starscream24]

Looks like the cars from Nascar Rumble on the PS1. I like it.

 

[Virox6549]

I have heard several ppl say this was a chassis test, and the body will likely by at least somewhat different.

I believe this is correct, Bob Pockrass has said multiple times that this isn't the gen 7 body on Twitter.

Source: https://twitter.com/bobpockrass/status/1181284077703454720

 

[Brandon Miller]

Almirola and Smithfield re-up with SHR.

https://m.nascar.com/news-media/2019/10/10/stewart-haas-racing-smithfield-extension-aric-almirola/

 

[Dodgeman4345]

Almirola and Smithfield re-up with SHR.

https://m.nascar.com/news-media/2019/10/10/stewart-haas-racing-smithfield-extension-aric-almirola/

That's great news.

 

[Sebastian Ruiz]

https://www.foxbusiness.com/sports/...sEQ6KHmdO8d_lsnq5dUBAfdgnDUiScFuPgkXxwPXgHL1c

NASCAR green lights hybrid cars for the race track in 2022
Major racing circuits, NASCAR and IndyCar series, will be introducing hybrid engines in 2022.

The switch from an all-gasoline powered engine to a hybrid gas-electric is not only environmentally-friendly, but it will also boost performance and speed while on the race track.

“Indy Car’s switching to hybrid in 2022,” Fox News automotive editor Gary Gastelu said on FOX Business’ “Varney & Co.” “You're still going to have an engine, but now, you’re going to have an electric motor attached to it and a battery. So when the cars brake, they get a little more energy, and then, when they accelerate it gives them a little boost.”

The boost is about 150 horsepower, the equivalent of adding the pep of a 2015 Volkswagen Golf. Gasoline-powered IndyCars have about 750 horsepower, but the gas-electric models will have 900 horsepower.

Hybrid cars are also projected to generate higher performance in automotive sales. The relevance of electric cars in the market today, and its introduction to NASCAR is reportedly sparking the interest of top auto leaders.

Toyota "said they're excited about this idea because they sell a lot of hybrids,” Gastelu said. “Ford, which races a Mustang in NASCAR, has a hybrid performance Mustang coming out around 2021, 2022. So it makes a lot of sense if the idea is to make the racing better and also make the cars more relevant to what you have in showrooms.”

For now, hybrid integration is a slow bleed, but there’s a chance NASCAR will go full-electric in the eventual future.

“The first ones will probably only be used on the short tracks and the road courses where there's a lot of breaking,” Gastelu said. “Talladega, Daytona might use the regular V8s for a while but eventually, they say, they want to go full electric."

“That's something that's interesting because Chevrolet is giving up hybrids,” Gastelu said. “They're jumping to a full electric lineup. They're not even working on hybrids right now. So I'm interested to see how they're going to react to this.”

 

[dalejr88rox]

https://www.foxbusiness.com/sports/...sEQ6KHmdO8d_lsnq5dUBAfdgnDUiScFuPgkXxwPXgHL1c

The first line says it's a possibility but the whole article reads like it's been announced. I'm calling bullshit for now. The fact that the writer doesn't even spell Indycar as one word and doesn't mention NASCAR until the 2nd half of the article seems fishy

 

[Harry Nurpplez]

I really do hope the rumor of the manufacturer specific wheels becomes reality. As for the one lug deal...if it's due to physics as Larry Mac said the other day then oh well. I'd much prefer the traditional five if at all possible though. Bigger wheels means bigger brakes. The hood intake vents instead of the old cowl intake will take some getting used too but if it's the better method then I'm for it. The lower roof and shorter rear deck are a plus in regards to curbing dirty air so hell yeah to that. Loving the fact that they are clearly open to having the exhaust come out of both sides again. The two alternate versions are interesting. Excited to see if they indeed do go with a shorter spoiler. That would be nice. As for all the underbody stuff(splitter, side skirts and rear diffuser) That gets a big thumbs up for me. Those three things alone...no way in HELL will the racing be worse than it is now. Even with a taller and wider tire. They are definitely going in the right direction.

I just don't like the look of it, but let's wait and see what the racing is like.

Well if there was something better then everyone wouldn't still be using some type of splitter.

 

[Brandon Miller]

I get everyone saying the bigger rims will allow bigger brakes. Cup cars can run a 13" rotor right now with a 15" rim. The rotors are set back from the hubs and the calipers are a low profile design that will still tuck inside the 15" rim. The larger rims are for the shorter sidewall tires that do not flex like a 15" tire sidewall will.

 

[Sebastian Ruiz]